The White House has rejected a plan by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to require eight hours of backup power on every cell-phone tower in the country.

The FCC proposed the rule in 2007, after Hurricane Katrina caused service interruptions on the Gulf Coast. The Office of Management and Budget, an arm of the White House that oversees federal regulations, said it rejected the rule because the FCC failed to get public comment on it.

The plan has drawn opposition from the mobile industry, led by the industry group CTIA, which has sued to stop it. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit had postponed its ruling on the suit until after the OMB released its decision.

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